“It’s good news” – Ex-lawmaker Shehu Sani reacts to inmates’ voting during elections

A former lawmaker in the National Assembly, Shehu Sani has welcomed the move to allow inmates of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) the right to vote.

Sani while commending the move said allowing inmates the right to vote in Nigeria during elections is good news.

Recall that the Comptroller General of NCoS, Sylvester Nwakuche during a visit to Yakubu Mahmood, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said that there are 81,000 inmates across the correctional centres.

According to Nwakuche, about 66 per cent of these inmates are awaiting trials.

With this and a Court of Appeal judgement, the inmates who are awaiting trial might be given the right to vote during elections.

In a post made on X, Sani said that over 50,000 inmates awaiting trial with the possibility of being allowed the right to vote is a move in the right direction.

He said,” That prison inmates will vote in Nigeria’s next elections is good news. That’s almost about 100k votes.

“Speaking from experience as an ex-prisoner, I know that the long-term serving inmates and the ‘Cell Governors’ and their Exco will control the votes.

“The order of command inside the prison cell is not for the weak. Overall, the reform that gives the prisoners the right to vote is commendable,” Sani wrote on X.